The Formula One season begins this week with yet another set of new
rules and regulations, including an end to in-race refueling.
The refueling ban does not mean an end to pit stops, as cars
will still be stopping to change tires. However, those stops will
now be cut to about three seconds rather than the previous eight to
10 seconds of standing time while fuel was topped up.
In recent seasons, the cars that qualified in the top 10 had
to start the race on the same fuel load they used in qualifying.
Now, the top qualifiers will be handicapped by having to start the
race on the tires they use to qualify, while those outside the top
10 get to use fresh rubber.
The combination of those two rules will make for a shift in
tactics, in which the timing of the pit stops will be balanced
between the condition of the initial set of tires and a calculation
of how long the next set will be able to last.
"The strategy will be much different compared to last year,"
Ferrari driver Felipe Massa said during preseason testing. "When is
the right time to come (to pit)? When is the right time to change
the tires? What is the type of tire to use? You don't know when
we're going to stop. It's going to depend on the tires and on the
strategy of the other cars."
Just as important as the in-race decision on when to pit will
be the decision Saturday about whether to go all out in qualifying
and damage the tires which must be used to start the race, or to
settle for a slower time, forego that last qualifying lap and have
the rubber in better condition for Sunday.
Tires that are a little fresher than that of a rival could be
decisive on the opening lap or two of the race, given that this
year the cars will be at their heaviest, and least responsive and
maneuverable, in the opening stages.
These rules should benefit a driver who is experienced enough
to make such judgments, and a driver who is either kind on his
tires or has the skill to maintain pace on degrading rubber. The
contrast will be marked at McLaren, for example, where Lewis
Hamilton is an aggressive racer who rapidly uses up tires, while
teammate Jenson Button has a smooth style.
Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn was excited by the
challenge and dilemmas the new rules will bring.
"You could go all out for qualifying but you would then have
to be lucky to have a car in the race," Brawn said. "It's going to
be difficult to balance both."
In cases where qualifying is dry and the race itself is in
wet conditions — or vice versa — all cars will get new
tires for the race and not the ones used in qualifying.
With no refueling — a cost-cutting measure due to the
expense of each team hauling fuel rigs around the world —
each car will have a much larger fuel tank this season. That has
caused a redesign that makes the cars almost a foot longer than
they were in 2009. Some teams have tried to capitalize on this by
building up the rear bodywork so that it extends from the air
intake above the driver's head to connect with the rear wing.
The number of sets of tires allocated to each car over each
grand prix meeting will be cut from 14 to 11. Teams won't be able
to get around this by skipping practice and hoarding all their sets
for qualifying and race, as one set must be handed back to race
authorities after Friday's first practice session and another two
after the second practice, regardless of whether they were used or
not. So big teams and small teams alike will do comparable amounts
of laps on Fridays.
Another key rule change is the points system. The
10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 system has been scrapped, replaced with
25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1.
That puts more of a premium on winning. The old points system
delivered the second-placed driver 80 percent of the points
collected by the winner. Now it's 72 percent. Whether that provides
more incentive for the second-placed driver to chase down the
leader remains to be seen.
Qualifying will follow the same three-stage format, with
adjustments to allow for the expansion of the field from 20 to 24
cars. The number of competitors eliminated after stages one and two
will be increased from five to seven, still leaving 10 drivers in
the final qualifying stage.
Front tires have been narrowed from a maximum width of 27
centimeters to 24.5, and wheel covers have been banned. But double
diffusers will again be here. And just like last year, when they
caused much legal argument, there is again the potential for
challenges to stewards over how teams have interpreted rules which
regulate the design of the diffusers, which manage air flow under
the car.
Another contentious addition of 2009 — the KERS
power-boost system — has been banished for 2010, by consensus
among the Formula One Teams Association rather than actual
regulation. KERS was problematic in 2009, with many teams spending
large sums to develop the technology while only two — Ferrari
and McLaren — used it regularly.
